She was an obscure shaman queen of Yamataikoku in ancient Wa (Japan). Early Chinese dynastic histories chronicle tributary relations between Queen Himiko and the Cao Wei Kingdom (220-265), and record that the Yayoi period people chose her as ruler following decades of warfare among the kings of Wa. Early Japanese histories do not mention Himiko, but historians associate her with legendary figures such as Empress Consort Jingū, who was Regent (ca. 200-269 ) in roughly the same era as Himiko.

Scholarly debates over the identity of Himiko and the location of her domain Yamatai have raged since the late Edo period, with opinions divided between northern Kyūshū or traditional Yamato province in present-day Kinki. "The Yamatai controversy", writes Keiji Imamura (1996:188), is "the greatest debate over the ancient history of Japan."

When the Yoshinogari area in northern Kyushu was excavated in 1986, the extent of the ruins led to great excitement that it might be the site of an ancient Yamatai kingdom mentioned in Chinese chronicles. People flooded to visit, and in 1992 it was decided to turn it into a historical park celebrating the Yayoi era (300 BC – 300 AD).

NARA--The remains of a large early-to- mid-third century structure have been unearthed at the Makimuku ruins in Sakurai, Nara Prefecture, the local municipal board of education announced Tuesday.The Makimuku ruins may have stood in Yamataikoku, an ancient country led by the female ruler Himiko that some experts believe was located in what is now the Kinki region. Others think it was part of what is now the Kyushu region.The recently discovered remains stretch 19.2 meters from north to south at their largest point, and at least 6.2 meters from east to west.

The discovery is significant to the history of Japan's formation as a country--according to the Sakurai Municipal Board of Education, the remains are an early example of a royal palace. Based on their age and location, some researchers speculate they may have been the center of Yamataikoku and Himiko's palace.The board's researchers discovered pillar holes in the ground while conducting a search east of a group of remains unearthed by March. Considering the structure's balance and the shapes of the holes, the board believes the dimensions of the structure were 19.2 meters from south to north and 12.4 meters from east to west. Each pillar is about 32 centimeters in diameter. It is likely the structure had an elevated floor.

The excavated site is located in a hilly development area. At least four structures, including the most recently discovered one, were found to have been built in a line from a central axis, indicating careful planning.Dating back to the third or fourth century, the Makimuku ruins are one of the nation's largest settlement ruins. Earthenware items produced in various regions from Kanto to Kyushu have been unearthed there.The ruins also are the site of the oldest keyhole-shaped Japanese tomb, Hashihaka tomb, which is believed to have been Himiko's, and may have been the birthplace of the Yamato Kingdom.

Taichiro Shiraishi, director of the Osaka Prefectural Chikatsuasuka Museum, said the excavated remains of the large structure may have been the central facility for Yamataikoku politics and religion.source : The Yomiuri Shimbun